Former head of two of San Diego's local ports Chris Maston took the helm of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Field Operations in San Diego.

Maston will oversee passenger and cargo operations, passenger ports of entry and airport and seaport operations in the region. The San Diego office includes 1,900 staff and five ports of entry along the border in California.

“I am committed to this agency’s important mission: securing the border of our nation,” said Maston in a statement. “At our ports of entry, this means segmenting low risk travelers and commodities for faster processing, leveraging our intelligence to detect high risk people and items, and working with our partners to ensure that when we interdict illegal activity, the persons responsible face consequences for their actions.”

Maston served as Port Director over San Ysidro and Otay Mesa prior to the new post. The law enforcement veteran brings 26 years of experience that began in 1985 when he served as a Border Patrol Agent in El Paso.

The former Director of Field Operations was Paul Morris, who died last year from cancer.